American swimmer Jessica Long has won her 25th Paralympic gold medal —triumphing in the 200-meter individual medley SM8 at the Tokyo Games on Saturday.
The big picture: The win marks the bi-lateral amputee's fourth-straight Paralympic Games gold medal in her signature event. Long was 12 years old when she won her first three Paralympic golds, at the 2004 Athens Games.
Two Afghan athletes arrived in Tokyo on Saturday to compete in the Paralympics, after initially canceling plans to compete following Afghanistan's fall to the Taliban, per a statement from the International Paralympic Committee.
Driving the news: Zakia Khudadadi, a Taekwondo athlete, and track athlete Hossain Rasouli were evacuated from Kabul a week ago and landed in Tokyo on a flight from Paris on Saturday, per the IPC.
The NBA said Friday that all personnel who will be in close proximity to players and referees must be fully vaccinated, according to a company memo shared with Axios.
State of play: This includes anyone who travels with teams, those who are around the bench areas and those who have access to the locker rooms. Team staff must be vaccinated by Oct. 1.
Cristiano Ronaldo, considered one of the world's best soccer players, will transfer to Manchester United, the team announced on Friday.
The big picture: Manchester United, while dominant historically, has not won the Premier League since the 2012-2013 season and they have not won a major trophy since they won the EFL Cup back in 2017.
College football kicks off Saturday, as the sport begins a second season in the midst of a global pandemic.
The state of play: Much like last year, teams, students and fans face varying realities. Some stadiums will require proof of vaccination, some will require masks and others will require neither.
